CV joints?

No, CV joints are not likely to leave you stranded, at least not for a long time. However, they don't usually make "knocking" sounds, more like a clickity-click when taking tight turns. At least that's how it starts. They can be noisy for a long time, gradually getting worse, until one day you'll put the car in reverse to leave the drive way and it just won't go anywhere. But that can take a very long time.

You'll have to describe the sound better to give an idea of what else it might be. Does it do it when cruising at a steady speed? Accelerating? Decelerating? Braking? Going over bumps? etc etc.

Harry

thanks. that's a relief.

knocking in the RH wheel decelerating on an 89 Ford Festiva. Haynes manual says knock in wheel is worn inner CV joint or spline in differential. (Says clicking is worn outer CV joint.) I've had the car up on jack stands a couple of times in the past few days since I heard the noise, rotating the axels by hand. No that I really know what I'm doing but the wheels do have some play in them when in gear but not at the differential end when I try rotating the CV dust cover. I don't know how much play the wheels are supposed to have in them when in gear. :)

I'm out of the work force and no longer commuting. Its a low milage car ,

101 km (60 k miles), and I put less than 3k km (2k miles) on the car per year. Don't drive it in winter. So its not like I have to rush into anything. If its the CV joints I'd like to try putting on rebuilt axels myself. Always nice to be able to take one's time with these things.

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Seriously, smack around your exhaust, especially where the pipe comes through the rear fascia. I was worying myself only to find it was the exhaust pipe...

JMH

Good advice, in fact, try rattling around anything you can see.

Your problem could also be tie rod ends, watch them while you try to turn the tire back and forth in your hands, there shouldnt be any play.

I found another diagnostic test for CV joints. It says to drive the car in a tight circle. I tried it yestderday (Sunday) in an empty parking lot. Never tried it before. I did not know the car would turn in such a small circle. Some noise comming from the joints but not much.

I think part of the diagnostic problem is there are at least 3 kinds of CV joints in front wheel drive cars. Some makers put one kind on the outboard and another kind on the inboard. Other makers do the opposite. So I guess worn CV joint noises differ among makes.

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It doesn't matter. They all make noise during a turn and the turn doesn't have to be that tight.

If it doesn't make noise during day to day driving then it isn't in dire need of replacement.

patient: doc! it hurts when I do this... doc: then don't do that.

Working from Monday to Thursday I was able to free up the bolts on my 14 yr old car that have to turn to replace one front wheel axel- CVjoint combo.

The suggested replacement procedure in the Haynes manual requires the removal of 6 nuts and 2 nuts-and-bolts. I wanted to see if I could do the job myself. I only have a light 3/8 socket set, including a "breaker bar" (the handle with the universal joint), and not much leverage lying on my back on the garage floor.

However with the patient use of WD-40, a wire brush the size of a toothbrush, a broken hacksaw blade, and a hamnmer and punch to whack the nuts with, the bolts eventualy turned. I worked on them once on Monday, twice on each of Tuesday and Wednesday, and once on Thursday. You have to give the WD-40 time to work between applications. I didn't try penetrating oil which might have been just as effective. I didn't get to all the nuts on Monday. If I did the work could have been done by Wednesday I suppose.

Once the nuts were loosened they were dipped in motor oil and screwed back on. Then they were covered in grease to keep them free of rust until I get around to replacing the axel which doen't have to be replaced right away. The nuts and bolts were covered with WD-40 (Water Dispersant) so there will be no water trapped under the oil and grease I put on to contribute to new rust.

I don't think I can remove the control arm bolt or the pinch bolt myself so I will probably have to take the car to the do-it-yourself garage where they have a lift and heavier tools.

There was one nut I could not turn because it needs a deep socket so instead of damaging the nut I left it for later. I also didn't work on the hub nut because its not rusted and I don't have a big enough socket. A new socket would cost $6.50 plus tax. I usually buy single sockets out of a bin at a pawn shop for $1.

The slow approach is not practical for a professional or for someone who needs the vehicle for daily commuting but it should save me money and I enjoy working on the car when its not something where a mistake could be expensive.

I can get the replacement part from a wrecker for $60. Canadian Tire wants $116. The wrecker wants $65 to install. Canadian Tire wants 1-1.5 hr labour at $80 an hour. Last time I checked the do- it-yourself garage was charing $10 an hour for a bay. Its probably more now.

I hope this description helps other penny-pinching car owners cut their costs.

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Just for future reference, PB Blaster and Liquid Wrench usually work better and faster than WD40, at least in my experiance. Even if you can get the WD40 for free, real penentrating oil works better. Also, 6 point sockets are really nice to have. They are less likely to round nuts.

Anti-seize is designed specificly for this application. Again, worth the extra cost. (a few dollars for a tube that will last the home user several years)

In the long run, I have found having a few extra chemicals around the garage saves money on parts I don't destroy removing. :) YMMV

If the maintenance manual does not specify anti-seize, DO NOT use it on bolts and nuts especially ones that screw on to an aluminum engine. Exceptions are sparkplugs. Anti-seize are too good at reducing friction in the thread. When you torque the nuts to the required torque, becuase you have lower friction than what the manufacture had in mind, you are clamping the parts together with more force. That extra force on the bolt can strip the threads on an aluminum engine. Been there, done that several times. This last time, I did an experiment to test the friction on different threads applied with and without anti-seize. The load on the screw increased by up to 71% with anti-seize. If you must, just use motor oil. In the same test, motor oil does not make the threads that much more slippery, but does give a more consistent bolt clamping force.

See:

Ben